Unveiling the Magnificence of Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna
In a medieval fresco, Mohammed is shown in hell, which is why the Basilica of San Petronio is known for it today. The oldest organ in the world and the big Cassini sundial are also worth seeing.
Original Plan and Lengthy Construction
If Antonio di Vincenzo’s original plan had been followed, the Basilica of San Petronio could have been the biggest church in the world. Antonio di Vincenzo was hired at the end of the 14th century to build what would become the most important church in Bologna. In fact, the basilica was supposed to be built in the shape of a Latin cross that was about 190 meters long and more than 130 meters wide.
Officially, construction started in 1390, but after (relatively) few years, the architect died. It was 1402, and from then on, the job was given to different people who took over when the last one died. In fact, it took almost 300 years to say that the work was done, even though it is clear that the work is still not done and does not match the original medieval plan.
Civil Society and Independence
Strangely, the Basilica of San Petronio was not made by the clergy. Instead, it was made by civil society, which wanted to show its independence and freedom through this political and religious building. So, it’s not surprising that, according to the project, it should have been bigger than even the Basilica of San Pietro in Rome. The church’s top leaders would never have let something like that happen, and as we’ll see, they didn’t.
Remains and Unfinished Facade
Since 2000, San Petronio has been home to the remains of a saint who was bishop of the city in the 5th century. Before that, the remains were kept in another important building in the city, the church of Santo Stefano. Not only was the church never finished as a whole, but the top half of its facade on the south side of Piazza Maggiore in the center of Bologna is also obviously unfinished. Its size (60 x 51 meters) emphasizes this point. In the lower part, white marble covers it up to the height of the main portal, but from that point up to the top, the facade is still made of simple rough bricks.
Interior Decorations and Chapels
The basilica has three aisles, or naves, and Girolamo Rinaldi decorated the middle one in the late 1600s, when the church was still being built. Even though he worked on the project with other people later, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola is the one who made the main altar’s tabernacle with the ciborium on top. The wooden choir, on the other hand, was made by Agostino de’ Marchi in the 15th century.
The two organs on the altar were made by Lorenzo di Giacomo da Prato, whose organ is said to be the oldest Italian organ that is still in use, and Baldassarre Malamini, who built his organ over a hundred years later, in 1596. Inside the basilica, there are twenty-two chapels, and each one is different: statues, paintings, walls, and altars follow one another and add to the priceless historical and artistic heritage kept in San Petronio.
In particular, the remains of Napoleon’s sister, Elisa Bonaparte, are in the seventh chapel on the left aisle. In the fourth chapel, also on the left, there is a large fresco of the Last Judgment below a scene from Hell based on the Divine Comedy, where the image of Muhammad in hell is clear. In the past few years, this detail has raised fears and concerns about international terrorism. To get into the chapel, you need an entrance ticket.
Significant Events and Archiginnasio Palace
In history, the basilica has been the site of many important events, such as the coronation of Emperor Charles V by Pope Clement VII in 1530, which took place in a church that was mostly unfinished, and the celebrations of two sessions of the Council of Trent seventeen years later.
The Gothic project of Antonio di Vincenzo was finally scrapped in the second half of the 16th century when Pius IV paid for the building of the Archiginnasio palace right where the basilica’s left transept was supposed to be. The smart move kept San Petronio from getting bigger than St. Peter’s Basilica, so it will always be 132 meters long and 60 meters wide, which is how big it is now. Even though this is the case, San Petronio is still the fifth largest basilica in the world.
The Cassini Sundial
Another record is tied to this huge building. It has a sundial drawn on the floor under the left aisle. Every day, a ray of sun comes through a hole in the vault and shines on the sundial. The idea comes from the astronomer Giandomenico Cassini, who used what he had learned to make what is still the world’s largest sundial in a closed space. It is 66 meters long.
Location and Visiting Information
The Basilica of San Petronio is in Piazza Maggiore, which is inside the ZTL. To get there, you have to walk. Many buses stop near via Rizzoli, which ends just below the Two Towers. People who come to Bologna by train can walk along via dell’Indipendenza, which goes straight into the square. The basilica is open every day from 7:45 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 18:30.